Fortnite Has Invaded the Modern American Classroom Like No Other Game

According to these teachers' anecdotes, Fortnite has dropped grades, improved social skills, disrupted classrooms, and united children across cliques.

By Eric Frederiksen

Updated: 28 Nov 2018 1:53 am

Posted: 27 Nov 2018 8:55 pm

Kids have been bringing video games and other distractions into schools for decades. For me, it was my Game Boy. But everything from the ‘90s surge of Tamagotchi to Magic the Gathering and Pokémon cards has had their moment in the spotlight in middle schools and high schools alike. Kids in high school these days, however, have grown up with games on smartphones, and those games follow them into class in ways my Game Boy never could have.

is huge in a way few games have been, and its audience talks about it and plays it in a way that’s different from almost any other game community. You can carry Fortnite – along with your profile and all your records and purchased content – with you just about anywhere you can go. That includes the classroom.

You can probably guess what kids think about it, but what about the teachers? Fortnite lasted through summer break and isn't showing any real signs of slowing down as we head into the holiday season. I spoke with high school teachers and educators in rural and suburban schools across the country about their experiences with Fortnite in the classroom – both the kind that ended in revoked phone privileges and the more positive situations that saw students incorporating the game into their curriculum.

The Fortnite Effect

When you find the right game, it gets into your head in a way that other media doesn't. It’s the Tetris Effect. You see yourself playing the game even when you're not. It’s hard to ignore, and that leads to some interesting dynamics between player and game.

When I looked over at him, I realized he was on his phone. He couldn't put the phone down to present...

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"When [Fortnite] was first released for phones, my students were trying all sorts of ways to be sneaky to play," a 10th grader teacher in suburban Minnesota (whom we’ll call Lois) said. "Students have been very distracted by the game to the point of not hearing instructions or getting work done."

It reached new heights for Lois when a student was up in front of the class, during a presentation, unable to concentrate on their own project.

"When I looked over at him, I realized he was on his phone. He couldn't put the phone down to present and had to keep playing Fortnite even when his grade was on the line," Lois said.

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Lois, who has taught just about every grade from 6 to 12 in the last 10 years, later added that this wasn't his phone, but his friend's phone – a trick to getting around the risk of having your phone confiscated in punishment. These kinds of antics led school administrators to block Fortnite from the school's wireless network.

With Fortnite, I've had more students argue with me or try to bargain with me about playing during class.

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"In the past, if a student was distracted by their phones, it was really easy to redirect them by either standing near them or asking them to put their phones away," she said. "With Fortnite, I've had more students argue with me or try to bargain with me about playing during class. Parents have told me they've had to lock down their children’s phones at night to actually force them to go to bed. The ones that didn't would crash during the school day.”

A high school English teacher in California (we'll call her Mary) said that students themselves often acknowledge how Fortnite’s distractions impact their homework. Tom Kersting, a New England-based licensed psychotherapist and school counselor who is a spokesperson for Zift (a parental control app), said that some of the students he's spoken to will find any small gap to play in, whether it's during the few minutes between classes, or staying up until "2 or 3 am."

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Kersting says that even the kids whose parents ask them to finish their homework first are seeing schoolwork affected – when Fortnite calls, the temptation to rush through assignments is powerful. That's been kind of a staple of video games as far back as Space Invaders, but few games nowadays seem to have the same staying power.

Parents have told me they've had to lock down their children’s phones at night to actually force them to go to bed.

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"Many kids acknowledge in their written reflections [which are effectively assignment post-mortems between teacher and student] that they did not put as much effort into their assignment because they were distracted by Fortnite," Mary told me. While she said she appreciates the students' candor, "the reflection process doesn't seem to do anything to encourage them to work harder next time." This teacher said she'd seen at least one student drop from an A to a D grade.

Kersting said that Fortnite's presence in school isn't as simple as it just being distracting in the classroom.

"The game has such allure, such pull to it where the kids can't get enough of it. The problem with that stimulation during lunch is the stimulation is sticking with them in 6th or 7th period, rendering them unable to focus on history or math,” Kersting said.

Fortnite vs. The Internet

While Fortnite is a distraction on its own, for one California teacher, it still doesn’t hold a candle to the monolithic juggernaut that is social media. That teacher, Melissa, acknowledges the level of distraction Fortnite has become associated with in schools, but called social media more of an addiction.

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Students assume that because I'm a gamer, I won't mind if they're playing Fortnite during class.

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Other teachers echoed similar sentiments. Miranda, a teacher who works with 7th and 8th graders in the Pacific Northwest, said that the Fortnite allure hasn't been much different from the pervasiveness of games like Call of Duty or Minecraft. Kelsey, who teaches English in a small Wisconsin community, says that while Fortnite has held on longer than most, it isn't as much of a problem in the classroom as some quick-play games like Flappy Bird have been. Those games open fast and have short play times, making it easier for students to sneak in a session. Of course, Flappy Bird burned bright and fast, while Fortnite has proven to stick around. Raymond Steinmetz, a Rhode Island-based math educator, called out Call of Duty specifically, too.

"[Fortnite], took an extra step and just took over. [It] really dominated all discussions between the kids. It wasn't like a group of boys who played Call of Duty the night before talking trash about it – it was the entire class talking about Fortnite and [doing the dances]," he said.

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Based on some conversations I’ve had with high school teachers, it also seems that class level has an effect on how powerful a distraction Fortnite is. A Minnesota high school teacher, Adam, says that his AP-level classes remain unchanged. In his reading classes, though, he sees students talking about it and reiterated what others have said about Fortnite’s presence holding on longer than other games.

[Fortnite] helped them bond, which makes it easier for them to work on group assignments – they suddenly have something in common.

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Kelsey echoed Adam's experience with students in AP classes, but noted that a teacher's gaming habits can play a role, too.

"Students assume that because I'm a gamer, I won't mind if they're playing Fortnite during class. It got even worse when PUBG Mobile got released," she said. Kelsey plays PUBG herself and said that, in her class in particular, students assume she'll be okay with them diving into the game any chance they get. Teachers who aren't up on gamer culture don't see students pushing boundaries as much as she’s experienced, Kelsey said.

While each of the teachers I spoke to had different experiences with how distracting Fortnite can be, they mostly sang the same tune when I asked about the positive effects of the game.

Building a Community

Melissa's high school students are talking more.

"It has brought together a number of students who rarely talked to each other before," she said. "[Fortnite] helped them bond, which makes it easier for them to work on group assignments – they suddenly have something in common."

Other teachers have seen similar positive outcomes.

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"I've seen more students talking to each other that wouldn't normally do so. [Fortnite] has built a community that has brought more students together. Even when they're playing against each other, they don't get angry when their players are killed… they just look forward to playing the game again with their new friends," Lois said.

One thing I find surprising is the diversity of students that are playing it. Students from just about every clique are playing it.

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That Fortnite lends itself to such a more amicable gaming relationship is an interesting point. Fortnite (and battle royale games in general) have a different lose/win rhythm from other popular multiplayer games. With Fortnite, there is no downtime. You have one life, and once you get knocked out of the match, you can quickly move onto the next one. And when you do lose, surviving for any amount of time at all can often feel like some kind of victory, considering the nature of the last man standing genre. Fortnite also lacks the linear progression we see in other multiplayer games. There's no leveling up of your character or weapons to get attached to or salty about. That kids have picked up dances specific to the game that have become a cultural meme of their own sure doesn't hurt the more positive engagements and associations kids have with the game, too.

"One thing I find surprising is the diversity of students that are playing it. Students from just about every clique are playing it, and that gives some of them a bit of common ground they didn't have previously," Kelsey said.

Kersting considers a downside to that connectivity.

"The kids that are playing it are sort of cuddling up together. In the lunchroom, during recess – they're playing Fortnite. It's a problem because, in my opinion, recess and lunchtime is oftentimes the only downtime the kids have at all during the day; it's actually very important communication and social time," Kersting said, though he admits that it is beneficial for some students who might have more difficulty socializing otherwise.

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Another road bump comes when parents decide to put their foot down. Fortnite is a T-rated game about shooting people – even if it is pretty cartoonish – making it inappropriate for younger kids. Kersting relayed one case where this grew into a social problem.

The argument on the mom's part is, why are schools even allowing kids to play these things when they should be socializing?

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"[One mother]'s issue was that her son – because he's not age appropriate, under the age of 12 – [isn’t allowed to play] Fortnite," Kersting said. "All these other parents let their kids play it, so she was the one that stood her ground. But the problem that she was running into, confronting school officials with, is literally every one of her son's friends plays it during recess and no one sees it as a problem. Because he's not allowed to play it, her son feels sort of left out. The argument on the mom's part is, why are schools even allowing kids to play these things when they should be socializing or playing kickball?"

Steinmetz (the Rhode Island math teacher), on the other hand, had a particularly transformative experience during a field trip.

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One of Miranda's students wrote an essay about how Fortnite was more important to him than his history grade.

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"At the end of the seventh-grade year, we always go to the park. So last year, we're on a coach bus [for] two hours going to an amusement park. Of course, we have all these rules, no cell phones and all that. We did allow them for the last 20 minutes though, so that people can get a call home," he said.

"I was on this bus with these kids for like two hours on the way home. 20 minutes away we give them their phones and everybody starts playing Fortnite. You could hear a pin drop. Everybody was collaborating, [kids who normally wouldn't leave each other alone, who had been making fun of each other] – now they're collaborating, everybody's friends."

Miranda told me that she's seen a huge spike in missing homework from the boys in her classes as a result of Fortnite. One of Miranda's students wrote an essay about how Fortnite was more important to him than his history grade.

"That was an interesting conversation with his parents," she added.

Fortnite Incorporated Into School Math Projects

Other students have also used Fortnite as an entry point for class assignments, to better results. One of Melissa’s students used Fortnite as a vehicle to explain some of their thoughts about the Shakespeare play Macbeth. I'm going to bet neither Epic Games nor the Bard saw that coming. Students have even tried to get Melissa, a gamer herself, to play.

Gingery has also used the Fortnite dance music as a rhythm drill, clapping out the beat while a student plays the melody.

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Erika Gingery, a Philadelphia-based music educator, uses Fortnite to engage her students.

"I often write out a simple piano version of a pop song for my middle school and high school students," she said. "They love it and it keeps them interested. Fortnite has presented an excellent opportunity to do that. Believe it or not, some of my students have really enjoyed learning the Main Menu theme and sharing it with their friends! Getting that positive social feedback is often the best way to motivate music students."

Gingery has also used the Fortnite dance music as a rhythm drill, clapping out the beat while a student plays the melody.

"It's very challenging, but again, students think it's fun. Music pedagogy for teenagers is a constant challenge… but I always welcome an opportunity like this to kind of step into their world and teach them there."

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Diana Graber, author of Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology and a Digital Literacy teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in California said that, to some degree, Fortnite is the same as any other social platform, acting as a relatively safe way to connect with peers. But for her classes, it also acts as a crucial jumping-off point.

Fortnite is everywhere, so it's inevitable that teachers will run into it. But the way our educators respond to it is as varied as the way gamers do.

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"Since I teach digital literacy, having a common place where students gather online lets us use that as a basis for many of our conversations," Graber said. "For example, we’ve talked about the possibility of encountering cyberbullying or cruel behavior online, and discussed how they would deal with it. We’ve talked about tech-overuse, and the mechanisms within gameplay that make it hard for them to disconnect. Fortnite has also led to conversations surrounding violence and guns. Some kids – believe it or not – don’t like games with gun violence."

Fortnite is everywhere, so it's inevitable that teachers will run into it. But the way our educators respond to it is as varied as the way gamers do. It can be an academic distraction or a much-needed moment of quiet. It can dominate classroom chatter or help kickstart important conversations. It can seem more important than school, or give teachers a means of connecting with younger minds. Teachers and students aren't likely to see eye-to-eye on gaming in the classroom anytime soon, but one thing is clear: Fortnite has scored its own Victory Royale in the battle for student attention in a way no other media has.

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